Bill Cosby plans to perform on London stage in comeback tour

Bill Cosby hopes to perform standup in London's comedy clubs as part of an international comeback tour after his sexual assault conviction was overturned, his publicist said.

The comedian once known to millions as "America Dad" was released from prison last week, when a Pennsylvania court ruled he had been unfairly prosecuted.

Despite the intense public backlash to his release, Cosby's publicist Andrew Wyatt said the 83-year-old was eager to return to the stage.

The comedian's team have been contacting promoters and comedy clubs who are open to the idea, according to Mr Wyatt.

Preparations are underway to get Cosby back on stage in London, the US and Canada. "The world wants to see Mr Cosby," his publicist told TMZ.

The act will draw on Cosby's “vintage storytelling” and include observations from his life today, Mr Wyatt told the Los Angeles Times.

Cosby, who faced accusations of sexual assault by dozens of women for years before his 2018 conviction, has faced heckling from protesters while performing on stage before.

The comedian and actor is not overly concerned about hecklers, his publicist said, but his team does plan to screen audiences for "media insurrectionists... who fuel hate".

Cosby also plans to work for criminal justice and prison reform, based on his own experiences.

Several other projects, including a book written by leading black writer Frederick Williams, and a documentary series by filmmaker Michelle Major are in the works.

Both the book and the five-part documentary series will include interviews with Cosby about his experiences with the legal system.

Cosby was almost three years into a potential 10-year sentence for drugging and molesting a woman in 2004 when the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled he did not receive a fair trial.

The court found Cosby had relied on a previous prosecutor's promise not to charge him when he gave potentially incriminating testimony in a civil suit brought by his accuser Andrea Constand.

Cosby has always maintained his innocence and suggested he is the victim of prejudice.

On his release, his publicist Mr Wyatt said: “This is what we have been fighting for, this is justice for black America."